Letter-copying press



(No Model.)

0. A. THOMPSON.

LETTER COPYING PRESS. No. 399,583. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

Witnesses Inventor m waflm 1 y his Jldorney N PETERS. Phomuum m ncr, Wnflfinglon. D. c.

a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus 8 IATES I UNITED PATENT l OFFICE.

, i l i i THOMPSON, OF GALVESTO TEXA8.

* LETTER-COPYING PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 2atent No. 399,583, dated March 12, 1889.

Application fi December 30, 1885- Serial No, 187,157. (No model.) Patented in England March 9, 1885, No. 3,077; in Canada May 13, 1885, No. 21,667, and in France June 16,1885,N0-169,392.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES ALBERT THOMPSON, of Galveston, in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented for Copying Letters. and otherNritten Documents, (for which Letters Patent were granted to me in England March 9, 1885, under No. 3,077; in France June 16, 1885, under No. 169,392, and in Canada May 13,1885, undorNo. 21,667 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. i

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for copying letters and other Written documents, so that the copying may be accomplished more easily and quickly than by means of an ordinary copying-press in the usual manner, and so that the copy can be put .into compact form for ready reference; and the novelty consists in the construction and combination of the several parts, all as will now be more specifically set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents an isometrical perspective view of my improvement. Fig. 2 is aside elevation with frame removed. Fig. 3 is a detail in longitudinal vertical section showing means for supporting the roll of copyii'ig-paper; Fig. 4, detail showing boss-rods adjustable by setscrews.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same part-sin all the figures.

A and A represent two rollers, which are journaled at each end and one above the other in suitable standards, a, attached to a suitable base or table, B. One of said rollers may be of metal or other substance, and the other of a substance slightly elastic, so as to yield slightly under pressure. These rollers are placed in contact with each other, so as to impart a considerable degree of pressure 011 the paper which is passed bet-ween them, as hereinafter described; but in the drawings they are represented as beingslightly apart, for the purpose of more clearly showing the construction of the apparatus.

0 represents an ordinary roll of thin copying-paper, which may be of any of the kinds used in the common copying-presses and of suitable length. Into the hollow ends of this roll the pointed bosses D enter from each side when the roll is placed between the vertical standards a on the left-hand side of the table B, as shown in the drawings. These bosses are each fixed on rods r, screw-threaded at the ends where they pass through the upper ends of said standards a a. By means of said screw-threads the said bosses can be advanced forward or drawn in, as may be required, in fitting the roll of paper into position for use. As thus mounted on said bosses the roll is free to turn easily as may be needed in feeding the web for use in copying.

If desired, the rod r, instead of being screwthreaded, as above described, maybe adapted to slide in and out of slots in the standard and each be held in any desired position therein by means of a set-screw, as shown in Fig. at.

H is a trough for water, into which the roller A is immersed at its lower side when the press is in use. I is a small roller between the roll and the roller A and in close proximityto this roller A, and is journaled in the horizontal bracket a extending from the vertical standard a. It is of special use in pressing the paper upon the dampenil'lg-roller A, and thus squeezing it and giving it the proper degree of dampness for copying and also for insuring smoothness in the paper as it passes in the sheet 0 from the roll. (between the rollers A and A. As the paper in this sheet form 0 passes over the roller A, which has been moistened by the water in the trough ll, the paper will be ready in a dampened and smooth condition to receive the impression from the written page as it is fed down upon said sheet 0 from the table K. The table K is inclined and has its lower edge near the roller A, and is supported by the arms 7t" at its sides, which are attached upon the top of the vertical standard a. This arrangement of the copy-table is of special advantage in many particulars. Among others its inclination aids in some degree in automatically feeding the writtelrpage roller A and A, and it is placed where it is most convenient for use, and it is also arranged in respect to the body of the press in the most compact and attractive way. The written page having been fed with its inked side toward the sheet 0 upon said sheet, the two are carried between the rollers A and A as said roller A is revolved by the crank F. These two rollers are in practice placed so near together that the revolution of the roller A will by friction operate to turn the roller A. As the sheet 0 and the Written page pass between and by the rollers A A they'come between the rollers A and E and then between the rollers E and E. The sa: l rollers are journaled in brackeis a, and they are moved by the revolutions of roller A, the power of which is transmitted by friction. The office of said rolls is very important, as by means of these rollers the sheet 0 and the written page are drawn evenly and smoothly between the rollers A and A under any and all conditions of use.

The operation of the device is as follows: The roll of paper 0 having been adjusted on the bosses D D, as the crank F is turned revolving the roller A, the end of the sheet 0 from said roll is now passed between the rollers I and A and the written paper is fed from the inclined table K down upon the sheet 0 and carried along with it between the rollers A' and A, -lhe sheet 0 is sufficiently moistened by contact with the dampened surface of the roller A to insure, under ordinary conditions, the copying of the writing upon the sheet 0. As the sheet 0 and the written page pass from between the rollers A and A they come between the rollers A and E, which act to draw then evenly and smoothly forward, and so on between the roller E and E, by which substantially the same purpose is accomplished. WVhile I prefer to use the roller E, it is not absolutely essential to do so.

It will thus be observed that the paper on which the copy is to be made is kept even and smooth while being dampened, and that only the requisite quantity of moistureis taken by it, and that in the process of copying both pa pers are kept even and smooth, and thus the copied paper comes off the last rollers in a good condition for use in mailing or otherwise.

The operation is as follows: A web or roll of copying-paper, O, is placed so that it hangs byits center on bosses D and D, which are adjustedbynieans of the screwr'r ods r r, and the end of sheet 0 passed between rollers I and A, and then between the rollers A and A, then between rollers A and E, and thence between E and E, and the trough II being partly filled with water to moisten roller A, the letter is then pushed from the table K teward rollers A and A, and the crank F, attached to A, being turned to rotate the roll ers, they will carry the paper forward. The paper 0 is suiiiciently moistened by rollerA to receive a good impression and carried forward by rollers E and E. WVhen the paper 0 is entirely used, a new web or roll of copying-paper is placed on bosses D and D and the operation, same as above, is repeated.

The paper C, after passing between E and E, can be torn in sheets and filed in any convenient form. 1

I am. aware that heretofore in copyingpresses the paper has been fed from a revolvi g roll and duly dampened by passing over iii iitable rollers, and that the written sheet as been fed or placed upon said paper and. aKcopy taken as the Written sheet and the copy-paper passed between rollers, and that provision has been made in such devices for moistening one of said rollers, and also means provided for feeding the written sheets upon the paper to be copied; and I am also aware that heretofore means have been used to adjust rollers by movable supports or journalbearing at their ends, and I therefore do not broadly claim any of the features as being my present invention.

I am also aware that it is not new to pl'() vide a feeding-table in printing-presses and many other like devices; but I What I do consider new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a copying-press, as described, the combination of the dampening-roller A, moistened in the manner described,with the smoothing-roller I at one side of and in close proximity to it and situated between said dampening-roller and the roll of paper, and the roller A, journaled in the standard a, and the smoothing-rollers E E, placed at one side and beyond the rollers A and A and journaled in brackets a the several. parts made and all arranged and combined in the manner and for the purposes described, whereby the paper is evenly and smoothly'moistened before the copy-paper is applied and both are kept smooth during the process of copying.

2. The combination,\vith the frame l3, having roller I, journaled in brackets a in close proximity to roller A, and rollers A A, journaled in standards a, and roller E, journaled in bracket of and the trough II, and the inclined copy-table K, the edges of which are contiguous to the roller A, substantially as and. for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the water-vessel, the sque'ezer-roll at the side of the damp ening-roll, and the copy-press roll directly over the dampening-roll, substantially as described.

4. In a copying-press, the combination of the press-copy roll with the dampening and the squeezer rolls, whereby the copying is done between the dampening-roll and the press-copy roll after the surplus moisture has been removed from it.

O. H. BEACH,

OAnLo LAMOIN. 

